I'm looking for some help on choosing the correct size Proto CTX that will fit my riding needs the best. I rode a friend's 155 a couple of times last season and took one run with a 152 yesterday. The 155 felt pretty good (from what I remember) and the 152 felt just a little too playful for my taste.

From reviews I've read, the board rides about 3 cm longer than its actual length (due to the blunted tip and effective edge). I guess that this means a 155 feels like a 158 and a 158 feels like a 161 and so on.

The biggest debate is choosing between a 155 and a 158. My riding style is mainly all-mountain (I'm an instructor) although I don't spend a huge amount of time in the terrain park (probably like 80% out of the park and 20% in the park).

Since you've actually ridden a 155 cm Proto CTX and it felt good for you, I say trust your instincts and get the 155 cm (especially since you also ridden a 152 cm variant). No amount of internet advice is going to be better than firsthand experience.

In case you just want confirmation of your experience, I checked the specs for the Forum Youngblood and 157 Wide has an effective edge (the part of the board touching the snow) of 121.5, the Proto CTX 155 has an effective edge of 122 cm - so yes... the Proto CTX is going to ride a bit longer than it's overall running length would imply.

What part of the world are you riding in? Also "all-mountain" is a bit of a generic term. If all mountain for you is groomers, some ice, moguls, the occasional few inches of fresh snow, and some park, a shorter board would be okay. If all mountain can include some steep off-piste runs a shorter board may get overwhelmed for your weight. You're not a small guy.

FWIW I weigh 175 and just bought a 160 cm board with a 140+ cm effective edge. So I guess it "rides" like a 170+ cm board if you think about it only in terms of effective edge.

It certainly took some getting used to riding something with 8" more metal touching snow on either side, but I have now taken it through nearly everything I took my old 159 cm, 123 cm effective edge board through, and it's not some scarey beast to ride. It's so confident at carving that it's making the rest of my boarding even better, so embrace the length, embrace the effective edge, and don't sell yourself short! HA! I made a funny... lol

I live in Pennsylvania, so I'm mostly riding man-made snow with the occasional bit of powder...groomers and ice is pretty much everything I have to deal with.

Fair enough, in that case I'd say if you really want to lay a good carve, longer is better, but if you're wanting to play around on it, go for the shorter one. Again, I'm 5'7" 175 lb and ride a 160 and it certainly doesn't feel too long to me, but I'm way more into freeriding.

The trusty snowboard calc puts you in the 160-162 range based on your weight, ability, etc. As mentioned in other threads the calculators are just a guide, but I've found them to be pretty damn accurate so far.

Fair enough, in that case I'd say if you really want to lay a good carve, longer is better, but if you're wanting to play around on it, go for the shorter one. Again, I'm 5'7" 175 lb and ride a 160 and it certainly doesn't feel too long to me, but I'm way more into freeriding.

The trusty snowboard calc puts you in the 160-162 range based on your weight, ability, etc. As mentioned in other threads the calculators are just a guide, but I've found them to be pretty damn accurate so far.

My vote goes for the 158 but that's just me...

You know a lot better than to trust a generic snowboard length calculator .

While in general I agree that someone 185 lbs would probably be on a 160ish board, but that's a generalization (that also reflect my personal preference for longer boards). When it gets to specifics, I think he should trust his instincts (he's been riding enough to know his own preferences ... subconsciously at least).

In my opinion, length matters less than construction... if he really wants a board that is more freeride/carve oriented... he need a board that is stiffer and more damp than the Proto (I own a 2012 Proto 154 myself, so I'm not bagging on it... but I know what it designed for an what it can do). Something like an SL or Cobra if you are going to stick with a Never Summer board (I own a 2009 SL 155, haven't tried the Cobra yet).

You know a lot better than to trust a generic snowboard length calculator .

But generalizations are what I do best! I have to stick to what I know!!! lol

Ultimately I don't think it'll make a big difference either way between the 155 and 158. Some people may get wigged out by a larger number and "feel" like the board is vastly different than what it is.

I know the opposite happened for me recently. I bought a board with nearly identical specs to my old board in terms of overall length, waist width, and tip and tail width, amount of camber, etc. Therefore I expected it to "feel" like my old board under my feet. What I was ignoring was a much larger sidecut radius and effective edge, which made me feel like I had been riding a harley and now I was on a sportbike. Felt completely different.

In contrast, when I went from a 153 freestyle board, to a stiffer, longer 159 board it should have felt very different, but it didn't. Because the sidecut radius and effective edge were similar.

Next time Burton has a demo day at one of my local mountains I'm going to see if I can get the Custom or Custom X in two sizes, and go out and try them back to back. I honestly don't think there will be much of a difference between two close sizes.

You know a lot better than to trust a generic snowboard length calculator .

While in general I agree that someone 185 lbs would probably be on a 160ish board, but that's a generalization (that also reflect my personal preference for longer boards). When it gets to specifics, I think he should trust his instincts (he's been riding enough to know his own preferences ... subconsciously at least).

In my opinion, length matters less than construction... if he really wants a board that is more freeride/carve oriented... he need a board that is stiffer and more damp than the Proto (I own a 2012 Proto 154 myself, so I'm not bagging on it... but I know what it designed for an what it can do). Something like an SL or Cobra if you are going to stick with a Never Summer board (I own a 2009 SL 155, haven't tried the Cobra yet).

I have thought about getting the Legacy (the wide version of the SL), but the only thing holding me back is that it's a directional twin...the only reason that I would like a true twin is because I don't want to have to change my stance or form when switching from regular to goofy.

I would say that I'm definitely more of a carver than a park guy, but I still like to hit the park a couple times and bust out a grab or two. My instinct is telling me to go with the 158, but I just want to be sure that it can still handle being put through a couple of park laps each time it goes out.

But generalizations are what I do best! I have to stick to what I know!!! lol

Ultimately I don't think it'll make a big difference either way between the 155 and 158. Some people may get wigged out by a larger number and "feel" like the board is vastly different than what it is.

I know the opposite happened for me recently. I bought a board with nearly identical specs to my old board in terms of overall length, waist width, and tip and tail width, amount of camber, etc. Therefore I expected it to "feel" like my old board under my feet. What I was ignoring was a much larger sidecut radius and effective edge, which made me feel like I had been riding a harley and now I was on a sportbike. Felt completely different.

In contrast, when I went from a 153 freestyle board, to a stiffer, longer 159 board it should have felt very different, but it didn't. Because the sidecut radius and effective edge were similar.

Next time Burton has a demo day at one of my local mountains I'm going to see if I can get the Custom or Custom X in two sizes, and go out and try them back to back. I honestly don't think there will be much of a difference between two close sizes.

Happy riding all!

True...I guess that I should just pull up the specs for my Youngblood and see how both the 155 and 158 match up against it.

The biggest thing that is going against me getting the 158 is that I don't know if it'll be very maneuverable in the park. Honestly I don't ride park very much (probably one to three laps per day) but I still would like something that's playful enough to go in and take some hits off of the kickers. Likewise with the 155, I just haven't ridden it enough to know if it can handle very high speeds and some nice carves.